Stand and Deliver the Goods With This Distinctive Lap Steel Guitar

For decades, lap steel guitarists have been relegated to sitting down -- often towards the cold corners of the stage, far from the limelight's reach. As an electric, strap-compatible instrument, Peavey's Powerslide lap steel guitar is a bold invitation for these players to stand up and take their rightful place at the front.

The great Gypsy Carns gives a down and dirty demo of the Peavey Powerslide:

A New Side to Slide

The Powerslide's body shape may look like standard-issue equipment from the KISS Army, but its design is actually ergonomic and functional. The flat bottom means it rests comfortably on a lap or table, and its arching curves fit around you when you stand up to shred. The included Y-strap reaches up to the knob on the headstock and branches out to two knobs on the bottom, making for a balanced and stable playing experience while standing up. You can even play the Powerslide like a conventional electric -- with the guitar's back against your body -- by strapping on to the knob at the guitar's shoulder.

Sounds for all Shades of Blue and Beyond

Though equipped with just one pickup, the Powerslide can produce a variety of tones. The unique partially covered, dual-coil ceramic humbucker is adjustable via the master volume and tone/coil control. With the tone/coil knob, you can not only roll off treble frequencies, but dial in sounds between single-coil twang and full-bodied humbucker girth. The Powerslide excels at both tender country ballads and roots-rock roar, depending on how much gain you choose to dial in.

Friend to all Slide Players

Those used to traditional lap steel guitars will find that the Powerslide feels perfectly familiar. It's got the same high action and wide fretboard they are accustomed to. Those who choose to play standing up will appreciate the Powerslide's light basswood body and the contour on the neck's treble side. The fretboard features a painted design mapped out in octaves that will help guitarists stay on target even on dimly lit stages.

Peavey Powerslide Lap Steel Guitar

It's not a lap steel, not a dobro, and it's not a conventional steel guitar. The Peavey Power Slide guitar is in response to the huge number of requests for a lap type steel that could be played standing up. The shape of the Power Slide is designed to position the playing surface (fingerboard) to the left of the players body allowing unhampered access to the playing surface. The unique four point suspension and the special Y strap enable the Power Slide to be played either horizontally or vertically (and almost anywhere in between).

The specially designed pickup makes available an extremely wide range of tones, which are augmented by Peavey's patented tone/mode control to allow the player to adjust from single-coil operation continuously to dual-coil, hum-canceling mode, with high-end rolloff at the extreme counterclockwise setting.

zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
"Powerslide "

Overall:
Slide guitar is all about technique, you can't hide bad timing or mistakes from any guitar. My flaws and 4 bad neck vertebrae aside, the powerslide is better than I thought it could be at that price. The thing is durable, weight is comfortable, sounds killer effected or clean, and for a member of ugliest guitar family it still looks golden. I wish standard electric guitars were as affordable and easy to pick as the powerslide, give it a try.

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Play any style"

Overall:
I haven’t found a lot written about the Peavey Power Slide by users, though a fair amount can be gleaned from the videos. So, I’d like to contribute my experiences for those of you who are interested in this unique instrument. I’ve had mine for about a year. I play classic rock, country, blues, folk and pop (just about everything) on it so my needs may be a bit more diverse than most. While a lap steel wouldn’t seem to be a natural instrument for all songs in all these styles, I’ve found ways to incorporate it into most of them. The Power Slide adds an emotional dimension to any kind of music that nothing else quite matches partially because the musician is free to move around.First, here is my setup, which is very simple because I’m on a limited budget. Tuning: Open D (low to high) - D, A, D, F#, A, D. Strings: D’Addario XL Nickel Wound 60, 48, 36, 26, 17, 15. Bar: Shubb-Pearse SP2 (I’m still playing with the chromed brass model and haven’t tried the stainless version yet). Capo: Golden Gate Squareneck Dobro Capo. Amplifier: Fender Frontman 25R with Fender footswitch. Pretty hard to beat this setup for about four hundred all together.I like the Open D tuning for several reasons. The tonic D note is on both the high and low strings and I can make the tuning minor by lowering just the 3rd (F#) string. When playing a blues in key of E the D note is easy to play, just play an open 1st, 3rd and 6th string. In country music two-string chords progressions are easy on the 1st and 3rd strings (about half are straight bar and half are single-fret slants), and many of the dobro licks can be played on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th, strings since the intervals are the same as the first 4 strings on the dobro. I use the capo very rarely, but it comes in handy for dobro-style playing and in songs when you want a drone string in a key other than D such as “I Can See For Miles” by The Who, which uses open E and B strings in standard tuning.The SP2 bar is unique in that it has a rounded “bullet” end as well as a sharp end. Also, being a bit heavier than most Stevens-style bars it has good sustain. The rounded end makes it easier to simulate a bullet bar on a pedal steel, and to stop just two strings in the middle of chord by pointing the nose between the strings. The sharp end works for pull offs, but for intricate single note passages the bullet end works well because you can slide from string to string without getting hung up. When playing rock and blues I add varying amounts of distortion using the amp’s drive channel. The Power Slide can make some great, surging power chords as you slide into a chord position in songs like “Born to be Wild” or “LA Woman”, or sweet, ethereal sounds in moody songs like “Miss You” or “Wish You Were Here” (pickup split half way between single coil and humbucker). For folk style I usually finger pick like a banjo or folk guitarist. The sound can be almost harp-like. I get a nice country steel guitar sound with pickup set on single coil with a generous amount of reverb on the amp. Whenever I play with someone new they always comment on how such a “modest” rig could sound so good. I almost always play standing up. It is bad enough to have to be looking down most of the time so standing lets me feel like I’m more part of the action. The provided strap works well, though a buckle broke after about 9 months. Fortunately, it is a standard size and was easy to fix. The gigbag, as is often stated, is functional but minimal. It would be nice to have one with more padding...or a hardshell.The instrument itself is well built in all the places it needs to be. The finish on my black guitar is perfect. All the hardware is solid and well made. The tuners could be heavier, but they stay in tune just fine.My only real criticisms are: The “belly cut” portion of the body which rests against you belly when you are playing standing up isn’t wide enough to allow me to comfortably reach the higher “frets.” An extra inch or two there would have made a big difference. I may try to make a piece to fit in there, just to see how much it helps. And, I wish they had raised the fretboard above the body, just a quarter of an inch. I do a fair amount of behind-the-bar string bends so it would be nice to have something to brace against all the way up. Finally, my nit-pick is that I’m not crazy about the weird design on the fretboard. I got used to it pretty quickly, but they could have made the design helpful instead of distracting. What would I do differently if I were to do it again...nothing really. With more money to spend I would have bought a bigger amp and I’d have a case made for the guitar. My wish list for Peavey’s future versions would be a 7 or 8-string model. All things considered, for any amount of money this is a fine instrument that will serve me for a long time. My next purchase will probably be to get a red Powerslide so I can have one in a different tuning...either Open G, or C6.

Style of Music: Any and all styles from blues, country, rock, pop, folk

Items You Recently Viewed

Our extended 45-Day 100% Satisfaction Guarantee applies on
this product
Buy it, and if it isn't just right for you, return it!

What Our Customers Are Saying About zZounds "These are actual musicians and audio engineers people! They know their stuff! I've tried to stump them before just for kicks and I was met with professional common sense answers that were communicated well and were factual." - Customer on March 6, 2018

A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.

With 3 warehouses across the United States, zZounds' ground shipping reaches many locations
within 2 days!
Enter your shipping ZIP code at checkout to confirm that your items qualify.
Learn more about zZounds shipping.

A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.

1. zZounds offers the industry‘s most musician-friendly payment plans

zZounds offers a variety of Play as you Pay® installment plans that allow you to get the gear you want today. While our competitors might offer house credit cards that require you to fill out an application and pass a credit check, our payment plans are easy to get, simple to use, and, best of all, accrue zero interest. Unlike those house credit cards that can leave you vulnerable to exorbitant interest charges once the promotional period ends, we never have and never will charge interest when you take advantage of one of the zZounds Play as you Pay® plans.

2. zZounds guarantees the lowest price

Seen it for less somewhere else? Get it for less at zZounds. Simply click the “Seen it for less?” link on any product page and as long as we‘re not losing money, we‘ll beat any legitimate competitor‘s lowest price, usually within two hours. Want our best price even faster? Call us at 844-zZounds (844-996-8637), and we‘ll provide you with a lower price on the phone. Also, if you purchase from us and later find the product for less elsewhere, call or email us within 45 days, and we‘ll refund you the difference.

3. Nobody Beats zZounds‘ Fast & Free Shipping

At zZounds, we know you want your gear fast, and shipped to you free of charge. That‘s why we have absolutely free ground shipping on every single order shipped within the continental United States. This includes heavy and oversized items. No minimum purchase required. No exclusions. We also ship over 90% of our orders with FREE 2-day shipping. We pull it all off with our strategically placed, coast-to-coast warehouses.

4. zZounds makes returns super easy

Buy it, try it, like it, or return it to us for a full refund. It‘s just that simple. If you‘re not in love with what you bought, return it to zZounds within 45 days, and we‘ll promptly arrange for an exchange or a refund. No hassles. No hidden charges. And if a product‘s defective or damaged, call us at 844-zZounds (844-996-8637), and we‘ll email you a prepaid shipping label so you can easily return it to us at zero cost to you.

5. zZounds delivers top-rated customer service

zZounds has received multiple Bizrate® Circle of Excellence Platinum awards, placing us in the top 0.7 percent of Bizrate‘s network of 5,200 retailers. Our success in meeting the needs of our customers -- since 1996, we‘ve satisfied over 1,000,000 people -- is due in large part to the fact that zZounds only hires experienced musicians to answer your calls and emails, and they are never paid a commission.